Recently manufactured 1911's

[curiousge5]

Hello all,

If a person were to purchase a Taurus 1911, about how long ago was it manufactured?

Also, the ones manufactured in the past year or two, is the quality the same or better than ones manufactured before that time?

My experience with Para motivates the question. I bought mine not long enough after they moved from Canada to NC. 375 rounds through it and I still get FTF's about 2X/box of 50 despite paying a 'smith to take it apart to look for manufacturing flaws, clean/lube, and put it back together. My mags are good aftermarket ones-2 different types/brands. I've used various brands of 230gr ball.

-curiousge5

[VTB_Gunner]

I'm not sure if there is a clear answer to your question - I think it boils down to how long the retailer has had it. Only way to know for sure is get the serial and run it on Taurus site before purchase. I haven't heard of any issues with older / newer PT1911's, and in a year on this forum, don't remember hearing anyone with problems like you describe with your Para.

[Montkun]

I would have to say that they're probably a year or two old in some locations, while other gun shops can't keep them on the shelf long enough to get the slightest bit dusty. Anytime you buy any firearm, you never really know when it was made unless you have a direct link to the manufacturer date codes or it's an old model when they used to stamp the production year into the receiver like they did on Mosin-Nagants.

As far as production quality goes, MOST (I can't say all because it would be an outright lie) manufacturers take note of any problems arising from their pistols, refine the area and put it into production ASAP to prevent problems. The thing with a 1911 is that there are only so many "improvements" that can be done to a 100 year old design that remains relatively unchanged. The biggest flaw I've ever seen in a 1911 has involved extractors, some get good ones that last 10,000 rounds while others fail under 100 rounds.

Anything made by the hands of man are due to fail at some point, no matter how good the machining and materials are. Out of 100 guns, if there are 2 bad ones on the production line that pass their initial QC testing, they will hit the store shelf right along with the other 98 that are perfectly fine. The bad part is that some constitute price with quality ALL the time. You won't find many people who will call a Kimber a crap gun because they paid $1,500 or more for it, but the second a Taurus fails at half the price or less, they're ready to pitch it in the nearest river because it was "... only a $600 paperweight". The good thing about Taurus is that if you have a problem, they're ready to jump at the chance to make things right by you. Nothing says confidence in a product to me like saying they'll stand behind it as long as the product exists, not just how long you own it.

Like someone wise once said on a television show from the 80's....

"You take the good, you take the bad,
you take them both and there you have
The Facts of Life, the Facts of Life."

[Wolf1477]

The only negative I've ever read about the PT-1911 was the first run had some issues with the ambi safety seperating, those models would be easy to tell because they still had the Heine Straight 8 sights (wish mine had those), and even then it was only a few I'd read about that were doing it.

Mine is now just a touch over a year old with well over 5k rounds through it without a single hiccup that I haven't created. I have both Taurus factory mags and MecGar mags for it, both work flawlessly, the Taurus mags perhaps drop out of the frame a little easier than the Mecs, but, all in all satisfied with the MecGar mags.

Biggest thing IMO, they need to be cleaned well when you bring 'em home from the store (that packing grease is a sticky mess and if you burn powder through it it turns to sticky concrete) and they can take up to 500 rounds of FMJ to break in...my duotone was broke in and settled right around 200 rounds and has fed hollowpoints reliably from that point on.

If you're coming from a Para, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. A neighbor of mine runs Paras and he was very impressed with the fit and function of the PT-1911 when I let him play with my 1911, he couldn't believe it didn't need a trigger job (generally the first thing he does to any 1911, regardless of make)

All in all, to cut this short(er), I think you can't go wrong with the PT-1911 series.

[wiredgeorge]

You are using aftermarket mags. You say they are "good". What brand are they? 90 percent of feed problems with a 1911 are mag related.

Hello all,

If a person were to purchase a Taurus 1911, about how long ago was it manufactured?

Also, the ones manufactured in the past year or two, is the quality the same or better than ones manufactured before that time?

My experience with Para motivates the question. I bought mine not long enough after they moved from Canada to NC. 375 rounds through it and I still get FTF's about 2X/box of 50 despite paying a 'smith to take it apart to look for manufacturing flaws, clean/lube, and put it back together. My mags are good aftermarket ones-2 different types/brands. I've used various brands of 230gr ball.

-curiousge5

[Plano Mark]

Hello all,

My experience with Para motivates the question. I bought mine not long enough after they moved from Canada to NC. 375 rounds through it and I still get FTF's about 2X/box of 50 despite paying a 'smith to take it apart to look for manufacturing flaws, clean/lube, and put it back together. My mags are good aftermarket ones-2 different types/brands. I've used various brands of 230gr ball.

-curiousge5

Sometimes the feed ramp need to be polished. I had minor feeding problems with JHPs in my Taurus 1911 when I bought it new. My buddy polished my feed ramp and I have no issues since.

[olfarhors]

I'm not sure if there is a clear answer to your question - I think it boils down to how long the retailer has had it. Only way to know for sure is get the serial and run it on Taurus site before purchase. I haven't heard of any issues with older / newer PT1911's, and in a year on this forum, don't remember hearing anyone with problems like you describe with your Para.

agreed!
the only significant changes or problems that i know of is the seperation of early ambi safties, and the change from Hienie straight eight sights to Novak three dot.
I don't personally see much difference regarding age other than that, I mean few 1911's wear out stitting in a manufactures box on a shelf.
as for the Para, I say thats an oddity!
I and another member i know have a Para GI Expert and i can say that this weapon has the best tooling of any of my 1911;s, the thing is beauty inside and out.
its got north of 1500 rounds through it and never skipped a beat, the GI Expert comes with a poly mainspring hosuing and trigger, and some do not like that, but really they work just fine.
the weapon does not have huge ambi safeties, or slide serrations on the front of the slide, i like those features about it as well.
I think its right up there with the PT1911 in value/quality.

[curiousge5]

One is a Chip McCormick Shooting Star. It is a flush-fit 8 rounder. It has the "devel" follower. I bought it soon after the factory mags caused or partially caused 7 jams in the first 100 rounds of the firearm. It had a nose-up FTF on the last round of the mag between rounds 100 and 150.

The other four aftermarket ones are Checkmate extended (extend a little past the grip) 8 round mags with hybrid feed lips and dimpled followers. These never jammed on the first or last round.

Both the CMC and Checkmate have about the same jam rates with my Para.

-curiousge5

You are using aftermarket mags. You say they are "good". What brand are they? 90 percent of feed problems with a 1911 are mag related.

[curiousge5]

agreed!
the only significant changes or problems that i know of is the seperation of early ambi safties, and the change from Hienie straight eight sights to Novak three dot.
I don't personally see much difference regarding age other than that, I mean few 1911's wear out stitting in a manufactures box on a shelf.
as for the Para, I say thats an oddity!
I and another member i know have a Para GI Expert and i can say that this weapon has the best tooling of any of my 1911;s, the thing is beauty inside and out.
its got north of 1500 rounds through it and never skipped a beat, the GI Expert comes with a poly mainspring hosuing and trigger, and some do not like that, but really they work just fine.
the weapon does not have huge ambi safeties, or slide serrations on the front of the slide, i like those features about it as well.
I think its right up there with the PT1911 in value/quality.



A lot of 1911 enthusiasts believe recent Para issues are due to their factory moving from Canada to NC in 2009. I also heard heavy demand due to post Katrina/new pres in office has made manufacturers eager to get models out of factory doors.

-curiousge5

[olfarhors]

A lot of 1911 enthusiasts believe recent Para issues are due to their factory moving from Canada to NC in 2009. I also heard heavy demand due to post Katrina/new pres in office has made manufacturers eager to get models out of factory doors.
-curiousge5

well of course every gun down the assembly line is different!
but mine is made right here in the good old USA in Pineville, NC.
actually i have not read any problems across the board about the Para products, some i like some i don't but thats personal preference not a statement of quality.